India's Wrestling legacy at the Commonwealth Games: A look back

For nearly a century, wrestling has been one of India's most successful sports at the Commonwealth Games, producing champions, unforgettable moments and a steady stream of medals.

The sport has contributed 114 medals to India's overall Commonwealth Games tally, including 49 gold, 38 silver and 27 bronze medals, making it India's most successful discipline at the Games.

India also ranks second in the all-time Commonwealth Games wrestling medal table, behind only Canada.

India's Commonwealth Games wrestling story began in 1934 when Rashid Anwar won the country's first-ever Commonwealth Games medal with a bronze at the British Empire Games in London. Since then, generations of wrestlers have turned the event into one of India's biggest medal-hunting grounds.

However, that remarkable legacy will not continue at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. The upcoming edition, scheduled from July 23 to August 2, will feature only 10 sports after organisers opted for a scaled-down programme, with wrestling among the disciplines dropped from the roster.

As India prepares for a Commonwealth Games without one of its strongest sports, here's a look back at the wrestlers and performances that built the country's rich wrestling legacy.

India's journey in wrestling at Commonwealth Games

India's wrestling journey at the Commonwealth Games began in 1934 when Rashid Anwar won the country's first-ever Commonwealth Games medal with a bronze.

The next major milestone came at the 1958 Cardiff Games, where Lila Ram Sangwan won India's first Commonwealth Games wrestling gold, while Lachmi Kant Pandey added a silver medal.

India continued to grow in the following editions. At Kingston 1966, India won seven medals, including three gold through Mukhtiar Singh, Bhim Singh and Bhishambher Singh.

The 1970 Edinburgh Games marked one of India's finest performances. The country won nine medals, including five gold, and claimed the Best Team Trophy. Mukhtiar Singh also became a back-to-back Commonwealth Games champion after defending his title.

India continued its dominance at Christchurch 1974, winning 10 medals, before adding nine medals each at Edmonton 1978 and Brisbane 1982.

The 1994 Victoria Games proved to be a rare setback as India failed to win a wrestling gold, finishing with two silver and three bronze medals.

Wrestling returned to the Commonwealth Games in 2002, and India bounced back strongly. Krishnan Kumar, Ramesh Kumar and Palwinder Singh Cheema won gold as India finished with three gold and three silver medals.

The biggest chapter in India's wrestling history came at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. Competing at home, India produced its best-ever campaign, winning a record 19 medals - 10 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze.

India carried that momentum into Glasgow 2014, winning 13 medals, including five gold. Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt successfully defended their Commonwealth Games titles.

At Gold Coast 2018, India once again dominated the wrestling competition, winning 12 medals, including five gold, three silver and four bronze.

Sushil Kumar completed a hat-trick of Commonwealth Games gold medals, while Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat added another gold each.

India's dominance continued at Birmingham 2022, where every Indian wrestler returned home with a medal. The 12-member contingent finished with six gold, one silver and five bronze medals, achieving a remarkable success rate.

The wrestlers who defined India's legacy

Several wrestlers have shaped India's remarkable Commonwealth Games legacy.

Among the women, Geeta Phogat created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a Commonwealth Games wrestling gold medal at Delhi 2010. Babita Phogat followed by upgrading her 2010 silver to gold at Glasgow 2014.

Vinesh Phogat established herself as India's most successful female Commonwealth Games wrestler by winning three consecutive gold medals in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Sakshi Malik added a gold medal at Birmingham 2022 after winning bronze in 2018, while Divya Kakran claimed bronze medals at both the 2018 and 2022 editions.

Among the men, Sushil Kumar cemented his place among India's greatest Commonwealth Games wrestlers by winning three consecutive gold medals in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Bajrang Punia dominated the 65kg category with back-to-back gold medals in 2018 and 2022, while Olympic silver medallist Ravi Kumar Dahiya capped his Commonwealth Games debut with a gold medal in Birmingham.

India's sustained success was built on the foundations laid by pioneers such as Lila Ram Sangwan and Mukhtiar Singh, whose achievements established the country as a wrestling powerhouse at the Commonwealth Games.

With wrestling missing from the Glasgow 2026 programme, India will be without one of its most dependable sources of medals, bringing an end, at least for now, to one of the country's most successful Commonwealth Games stories.